The Indianapolis Colts may be inching toward a Jonathan Taylor deal after all.
For weeks, the team had been telling interested clubs it didn’t want to move its star running back. But with the trade deadline closing in and Sunday’s 27-23 loss to the Dallas Cowboys dropping Indianapolis to 2-7, the tone around Taylor appears to be shifting fast.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported that league chatter now points to the Colts being willing to listen to the strongest offer on the table before Tuesday’s 4:00 p.m. ET deadline.
“The current belief in league circles is that the Colts will take the best offer that’s on the table as the deadline approaches at 4:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday,” Florio wrote. “Sure, the Colts would like to get as much as they can, ideally landing the same package the Panthers got from the 49ers for running back Christian McCaffrey.
“But the Colts are likely to take what they can get, with the market for Taylor set by the competition among the teams that make an offer. Regardless, the 2-7 Colts are ready to sell.”
That’s a sharp turn from the picture painted just a week ago. On Nov.
1, NFL insider Aditi Kinkhabwala said the Colts told her they were not seeking offers for Taylor and were not actively trying to move him. The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero also reported that Indianapolis quickly rejected an offer that included a 2027 second-round pick and another selection.
Still, the Colts have already moved on from two other big names, sending guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the San Francisco 49ers. Florio also noted that with general manager Chris Ballard out, the team wants to gather draft capital to make the job more appealing for the next person in charge.
The asking price remains tied to the haul Carolina received from San Francisco for Christian McCaffrey in 2022: second-, third-, fourth-, and fifth-round picks. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Sunday that Indianapolis has at least a second-rounder and more sitting on the table, but the club is still aiming higher.
Several teams have been connected to Taylor, including the New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings, Seahawks, Denver Broncos, and Green Bay Packers. Florio also floated the 49ers as a possible dark horse.
Taylor has not asked out. The 27-year-old has put together 656 rushing yards and eight touchdowns this season, though Sunday was a rough outing. He finished with just 46 yards on 13 carries and lost a fumble in what may have been his last game in Indianapolis.
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